Articles by José Tomás Franco

As part of our 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale coverage, we present the completed Spanish Pavilion. Below, the curatorial team describes the exhibition in their own words. 

Becoming, the Spanish Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2018, seeks to respond to the general theme of the event through the proposals and research being developed in the different learning environments within the country, placing special emphasis on the architect’s new multidisciplinary profile.

As wood is one of the most widely-used materials in the world, architects are accustomed to being able to easily obtain sawn wood at a nearby store. However, many of us know little about its manufacturing process and all the operations that determine its appearance, dimensions, and other important aspects of its performance.

The challenge of designing a house with a tight budget and space constraints, together with the essential duty of responding correctly to the requirements of the user, is sometimes one of the most challenging and motivating tasks an architect can face. How can you take advantage of space most effectively? How can you avoid wasted material? How do you anticipate the possible future expansion of the house? And how do you develop a simple design that also delivers value to its inhabitants?

To help you in this process, we scoured our projects archives to select 30 houses that provide interesting architectural solutions despite measuring less than 100 square meters.

This question can be basic and you may know the answer, but it’s always good to remember some elementary calculations that help us to streamline the design process.

Uniting the material intelligence of vernacular crafts with the precision and flexibility provided by the new digital design and manufacturing technologies, the Robotic Fabrication LAB of The Faculty of Architecture of HKU has developed the CeramicINformation Pavilion, with the objective of finding suitable levels of automation to be used for emerging and transitioning economies. 

In buildings where openness, brightness, and outward views are highly valued by the users of our projects, glass predominates as an exterior cladding in cities all around the world. This forces us to look for options that can manage the excess of solar radiation and maintain thermal comfort in all seasons, without obstructing the views or darkening the interior spaces.

As the profession becomes more aware of the variety of users who will use their architectural creations it is necessary to consider certain basic rules. In the end, the idea is that a building or space can be used comfortably, effectively and (if necessary) quickly by all users. Today the use of BIM technology encourages the incorporation of pre-modeled products in projects, which facilitates the processes. However, if pre-modeled products are not inclusively designed, there is an increased possibility of overlooking these accessible considerations–especially when their architects have no experience or are unaware of accessible design guidelines. 

Small spaces sometimes have to host essential functions. How can you incorporate the kitchen into your design in the best possible way when your floor space is limited? We have thoroughly reviewed our published projects to select 7 houses in which the architects have effectively solved this problem, using intelligent and innovative configurations.

These kitchens manage to appear larger than they really are when attached to neighboring spaces such as living rooms or dining rooms. In themselves, they are kitchens that occupy very small spaces, opting for a different approach to the traditional kitchen that normally occupies an independent and exclusive room.

Small spaces sometimes have to host essential functions. How can you incorporate the kitchen into your design in the best possible way when your floor space is limited? We have thoroughly reviewed our published projects to select 7 houses in which the architects have effectively solved this problem, using intelligent and innovative configurations.

These kitchens manage to appear larger than they really are when attached to neighboring spaces such as living rooms or dining rooms. In themselves, they are kitchens that occupy very small spaces, opting for a different approach to the traditional kitchen that normally occupies an independent and exclusive room.

Concrete blocks are a prefabricated material mainly used to build walls. Like bricks, the blocks are stacked together and joined with a mortar, usually consisting of cement, sand, and water. The blocks are hollow inside to allow for steel bars and mortar filling.